Wizards-Clippers Preview

By ALAN FERGUSONPosted Jan 19 2013 2:20AM

While they weren't completely satisfied with their latest performance, the Los Angeles Clippers managed to win again in spite of Chris Paul's absence.

The Clippers would love to have their All-Star point guard back for their brief return home, a matchup with the suddenly surging Washington Wizards on Saturday night.

Paul has missed the past three games with a bruised right kneecap, but Los Angeles (31-9) has won all of those contests by an average of 15.7 points. The Clippers committed 18 turnovers for the second consecutive game Thursday in Minnesota but completed a 3-0 road trip with a 90-77 victory.

Jamal Crawford scored a team-best 22 points off the bench, giving him 52 in the last two games. Blake Griffin, named an All-Star starter along with Paul earlier Thursday, contributed 20 points.

"Guys have been hurt and out, and other guys have stepped up," Crawford said. "I think that's a credit to our coaching staff keeping us prepared and a credit to our team for being professionals and staying ready."

The Clippers, winners in 17 of 19 at home, have prevailed in seven straight over Washington. Los Angeles won last season's two matchups by an average of 22.0 points, including a 102-84 home win Feb. 15.

Griffin had 23 points and 15 rebounds in that game while former Wizard Caron Butler was also among six Clippers players in double figures with 21 points. Butler had 12 points Thursday - his most in his last eight games - despite dealing with a sore right foot.

"We should come into every arena feeling we should get the W," said Butler, whose team will play 11 of its next 14 on the road. "That's not being cocky or overconfident. That's having enough confidence in our ability and ourselves and the personnel we have out there and the system that we run."

Despite their recent dominance in the series, the Clippers might not want to overlook the Wizards, who have won four of five. Washington (8-29) had one victory in its first 17 road games this season before winning 112-108 on Friday at Denver, a team that's now 15-3 at home.

Bradley Beal had a team-best 23 points and the Wizards got a combined 46 from reserves Kevin Seraphin, Trevor Ariza and the still-recovering John Wall.

Wall had 14 points and a season-high 12 assists, also blocking Ty Lawson's attempt at a tying layup in the final seconds in his fourth game since returning from a stress injury to his left kneecap. Jordan Crawford had eight points in 17 minutes following a four-game absence due to a sore left ankle.

"We played the game that we wanted to play tonight against a very good team," coach Randy Wittman said.

Wall is averaging 22.3 points, 9.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds in four all-time games against the Clippers, but he was just 4 of 13 from the field in last season's visit to Los Angeles. He finished with 18 points, 12 assists and five turnovers in that defeat.

Griffin is averaging 25.8 points on 60.0 percent shooting in his four career matchups with Washington.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Clippers hold off upset-minded Wizards 94-87

By JOE RESNICKPosted Jan 20 2013 2:30AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) Blake Griffin had one of those rare nights when his free throw percentage for the game was actually higher than his field goal percentage.

The three-time All-Star made a pair of clutch foul shots in the final 2 minutes, finishing 7 for 10 from the line and partially atoning for his dreadful 5-for-18 performance as the Clippers held off the pesky Washington Wizards 94-87 on Saturday night.

Griffin has converted 23 of his last 29 from the line to improve his season percentage from 61.9 to 64.2.

"I'm just putting in the work every day and trying to turn that into something that's a strength of mine and not something that can be a liability," Griffin said. "It's going to be huge for us, especially down the stretch and in the playoffs. So if I can shoot better from the free throw line, that will take a little pressure off the rest of the team."

Chris Paul, the NBA player of the month for December, also had a poor-shooting game in his return to the Los Angeles lineup after missing three games because of a bruised right kneecap. He missed 10 of 16 shots, but still managed 22 points and 11 assists and helped seal the victory with seven points in the final 3:14. The Clippers won despite shooting a season-low 36.6 percent from the field.

"I was 6 for 16 and Blake was 5 for 18. That's not going to happen on most nights," Paul said. "The biggest thing is that we had 93 shot attempts and they had 77. That's how we won the game - with offensive rebounding. It was cool to be back. I feel like it's been the longest week, sitting out three games. But I still need to get my timing back and get it through my head that I can play."

The surging Clips have won an astonishing 24 of their last 27 overall and are within a half-game of idle Oklahoma City for the NBA's best record, a full game ahead of San Antonio. The top teams in the Western Conference will go head-to-head on Tuesday night at Los Angeles in a rematch of their overtime battle on Nov. 21, when the Thunder beat the Clippers 117-111 in Griffin's hometown.

Just hours after the NHL's Los Angeles Kings raised their first Stanley Cup banner to the Staples Center rafters and received their championship rings as a prelude to their lockout-delayed season opener, the Clippers reached the midway mark of their spectacular season and continued to tantalize their long-suffering fans with hopes of an NBA Finals appearance in June. The farthest the franchise has gotten in its 43-year history was the conference semifinals, in 2006 and again last season.

When asked if having a brand new championship banner hanging almost directly over the Clippers' bench will be inspiring or uncomfortable, coach Vinny Del Negro said: "It won't be uncomfortable. There's a lot of banners up in this building (11 by the Lakers), and we're just trying to make our own path right now and trying to achieve the most success we can with this group. The hanging of banners is very difficult, as everybody knows, but we're just trying to achieve what we can and put ourselves in a position to compete at the highest level and see where it takes us.

"I know some of the people in the Kings organization and I know it's an exciting time for them," Del Negro added. "They earned it. I had a chance to look at their ring today, and it's a beautiful ring. I'm happy for their success and for the city. That's what it's all about."

Coming off a sweep of their three-game road trip through Memphis, Houston and Minnesota, the Clippers improved their home record to 19-4. The win was their fourth in a row since the 104-101 loss to Orlando on Jan. 12 that ended their franchise-record, 13-game home winning streak.

John Wall scored 24 points off the bench for the Wizards, whose league-worst record dropped to 8-30 even though they had won four of their previous five games.

"It was a close battle out there tonight," said Wizards forward Nene, who had 12 points and seven rebounds. "There were things we couldn't control, but it was close. The Clippers are good. They play together and trust each other, and they won. But we are playing much better."

Wall, whose block of Ty Lawson's potential game-tying layup in the final seconds helped the Wizards escape Denver with a 112-108 victory on Friday night and snap an eight-game road losing streak, shot 7 for 16 and had six assists in his fifth game of the season. The NBA's top overall draft pick in 2010 returned to action on Jan. 12 after missing the team's first 33 games with a stress injury to his left kneecap, but has yet to start.

The Wizards are a league-worst 2-17 on the road. They haven't won consecutive games on the same road trip since last Feb. 12-14, when they beat Detroit by 21 points and Portland by 15 before losing to the Clippers the following night at Staples Center.

"They're a good team despite their record. I mean, going into Denver last night and getting a win is not an easy thing to do," Matt Barnes said. "They've got a lot of talent, they just haven't figured out how to put it together."

Los Angeles missed 11 of its first 14 shots in the fourth quarter before Paul hit a 3-pointer that gave it an 85-80 lead with 3:14 to play.

Bradley Beal hit a 3-pointer at the other end and Wall made one of two free throws to cut the Clippers' margin to 85-84 with 2 minutes remaining. But Griffin hit a pair of free throws, then converted his offensive rebound of Paul's missed jumper into a reverse layup for an 89-86 advantage. Paul helped clinch it with a 17-footer and two free throws in the final 33 seconds.

NOTES: The Clippers have won eight straight against the Wizards since a 106-94 loss at Washington on Jan. 31, 2009. They had never beaten that franchise more than three straight times prior to this streak since the rivalry began in 1970-71, when the marquee read: "Buffalo Braves vs. Baltimore Bullets." The Clippers' longest winning streak against any club is 11, against Dallas from 1992-1994. ... Wall committed a league-worst 255 turnovers in 66 games during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, six fewer than he had in 69 games as a rookie in 2009-10. ... Clippers reserve F Lamar Odom - still looking for his 300th career double-double - has played in 94 regular-season games since his previous one on April 8, 2011, when he had 13 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers at Portland. He's started only five games during that stretch. ... The Clippers lead the league with 872 points off turnovers, including the 19 they scored on Washington's 18 miscues. ... Paul, who came in averaging a league-best 2.62 steals, has recorded at least one in 52 consecutive regular-season games - the league's longest active streak. His career best is 108 straight.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Clippers 94, Wizards 87

THE FACTS: Clippers point guard Chris Paul returned from a three-game absence because of a bruised kneecap Saturday night and played as if he'd never been gone. He finished with 22 points, including a back-breaking step-back jumper with 32 seconds remaining, and distributed 11 assists to lead the cold-shooting Clippers to a 94-87 victory against the visiting Wizards at Staples Center.

QUOTABLE: "It was cool to be back. I feel like it has been the longest week, sitting out three games. It felt good getting back out on the court, but I still need to get my timing back and get it through my head that I can play."-- Chris Paul

THE STAT: The Clippers were 0-2 this season when shooting under 40 percent from the floor, and hadn't been held below that mark at home this season. The Wizards were 6-2 on the season when shooting a higher percentage than their opponent. Those trends didn't hold up, as the Clippers shot a season-low 36.6 percent from the floor and still beat a Washington team that shot 41.6. The Clippers helped their cause by grabbing a season-high 22 offensive rebounds.

TURNING POINT: Give the Wizards credit; they weren't going to vanish into the night against the Clippers. L.A. went ahead by seven with 6:33 remaining and it appeared that might finish off Washington, but a layup by Trevor Booker and a 3-point basket by Bradley Beal put them right behind within two points with 5:18 left. Beal hit another 3 and John Wall had a chance to tie the score at the free-throw line with two minutes on the game clock, but he only made one of two. The Clippers finally put the Wizards away when Blake Griffin scored on a spinning drive with 1:02 left, Wall turned the ball over on the other end and Paul hit his step-back 17-footer with 32 seconds remaining, giving L.A. a two-possession lead it finally maintained.

HOT: Clippers backup forward Lamar Odom was one of only three players for L.A. who made at least half of his shots, but he was even more effective on the glass. He grabbed 10 rebounds, half on the offensive end, giving him three straight games with double figures in rebounds. Odom only managed four points, leaving him one double-double short of 300 for his career.

NOT: Griffin made the shot that counted but otherwise had a poor game shooting the ball. He finished 5-for-18 and scored 17 points with 11 rebounds. He wasn't alone in his struggles from the field. Paul was 6-for-16, Jamal Crawford was 3-for-13 and Caron Butler was 3-for-9.

QUOTABLE II: "That's not going to happen on most nights. The biggest thing I look at is we had 92 shot attempts and they had 77. That's how we won the game, with offensive rebounding."-- Chris Paul

GOOD MOVE: Paul is usually the lob artist for the Clippers, but Griffin showed he knows how to pass the ball above the rim as well. He grabbed a defensive rebound with 5:13 remaining in the third quarter, dribbled across half court and placed a perfect lob pass to streaking center DeAndre Jordan, who stuffed it through the rim to cap an 8-0 run and give the Clippers a 60-50 lead.

BAD MOVE: Wall had played four games since returning from a knee injury, but Washington coach Randy Wittman continues to bring the team's best player off the bench. Wall showed he's more than ready to get back into the starting lineup, scoring a team-high 24 points and dishing out six assists in 31 minutes.

QUOTABLE II: "We didn't win the game because we gave up 22 offensive rebounds for 20-plus second-chance points." -- Wizards coach Randy Wittman

NOTABLE: The Clippers have won four in a row and 24 of their last 27. ... The Wizards fell to a league-worst 2-17 on the road. ... Griffin, who shot 52.1 percent from the free-throw line last season, was 7-for-10 from the stripe, putting him at 14-for-17 in the last three games. ... L.A. improved to 25-2 when leading after the first quarter.